4 white supremacists face up to 10 years in prison over 2017 Charlottesville rally violence

Over a year after the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, charges have been brought against four of its alleged participants.
Four members of a white supremacist group have been arrested and hit with two charges: conspiracy to violate the federal riot statute and actually violating the federal riot statute, per NBC News. According to federal prosecutors, the men "committed multiple acts of violence including punching, kicking, headbutting, and pushing numerous people." The August 2017 rally of white nationalists left three people dead and dozens injured, including 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was killed when a man rammed his car into a crowd. These new arrests are unrelated to Heyer's death, with James Alex Fields Jr. having been charged with second-degree murder in 2017. He pleaded not guilty earlier this year.
The four men whose arrests were announced Tuesday — 25-year-old Benjamin Daley, 34-year-old Thomas Gillen, 29-year-old Michael Miselis, and 24-year-old Cole White — are all from California and members of the white nationalist group Rise Above Movement. HuffPost reports that an affidavit describes them as being "among the most violent individuals present in Charlottesville." If convicted, the four face up to 10 years in prison. Read more at NBC News.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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